English: Machahir123 - ISMAILIA, Egypt - Two U.S. amphibious assault ships, the Kearsarge and the Ponce, entered Egypt's Suez Canal Wednesday, on their way to the Mediterranean, a canal official said.

The ships were at the southern mouth of the canal, the official said, adding that they were expected to pass through by 3:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. British time) or 4:00 p.m..

The USS Kearsarge and the USS Ponce entered accompanied by tugs to secure their passage, the canal official said.

The United States had said Monday it was moving ships and planes closer to Libya, where a revolt against Muammar Gaddafi's rule is under way. The Kearsarge can carry 2,000 Marines.

The repositioning of U.S. ships and aircraft closer to Libya is widely seen as a symbolic show of force since neither the United States nor its NATO allies have shown any appetite for direct military intervention in the turmoil that has seen Gaddafi lose control of big swathes of the North African state.

Monday the USS Barry, a destroyer, moved through the Suez Canal and was now in the southwestern Mediterranean.

English: Machahir123 - Muammar Gaddafi said on Wednesday that Libyans would die in thousands if the United States or other foreign powers enter Libya, and he was ready to discuss constitutional and legal changes without violence.

"Do they want us to become slaves once again like we were slaves to the Italians?" the Libyan leader said, referring to Libya's former colonial power. "We will never accept it. We will enter a bloody war and thousands and thousands of Libyans will die if the United States enters or NATO enters."

On al Qaeda, he said: "I am ready to debate anyone one of them, one of their 'emirs', whomsoever appoints himself, who comes to me to debate with me, but they do not debate ... they do not have demands at all."